The Co-President is responsible for Chapter Operations, Succession Planning and CARE reporting to ATD National. 

Ross Tartell specializes in talent development, executive coaching, and leadership development. He is a Senior Associate with the Organizational Performance Group (OPG) and Principal at Ross Tartell, Ph.D., Consulting LLC.  Earlier, Ross was North American Learning Leader for GE Capital Real Estate. He also spent 18 years at Pfizer Inc. Positions included Regional Learning Leader, Director Team Leader for Instructional Design, and Director Team Leader for Leadership Development.

Ross is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.  He has published articles and made presentations on Leadership, Talent Development, Training Evaluation, and Employee Engagement. He also serves on the editorial boards for Training Magazine and The OD Practitioner.  He received his B.A. in Social Science from Hofstra University, and his M.B.A in Management, and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Columbia University.

Co-President, Director,
University Student Relations, 

Dr. Maurice
"Mo" Cayer  

University of
New Haven

The Co-President is responsible for Chapter Operations, Succession Planning and CARE reporting to ATD National. 

Mo Cayer is a career-long applied industrial/organizational psychologist. Mo has extensive industry and corporate experience improving organizational and human resource effectiveness. His corporate/consulting career includes: 

• Training Portfolio Leader at the American Management Association (AMA).
• Head of Organizational & Leadership Development for Bayer Healthcare/ Pharmaceutical, NA.
• GE Capital Corp. (the financial services business within General Electric) for six years, Mo was the Leader, Best Practices & Program Development, designing and consulting on a wide variety of Organizational and Leadership Development interventions.
• R.H. Macy & Co., as its Vice President, Leadership, Organizational Development & Executive Compensation.
• Development Dimensions Int’l., Consultant for Service Excellence; and KRC Research and Consulting, VP Organizational Research & OD Consulting.
• JC Penney Co in various Human Resource leadership roles over 10 years.
• Mo continues consulting to private and public sector organizations, sometimes collaborating with Pivotal Resources, Inc., a global change leadership firm.

Mo is a full-time faculty member at the University of New Haven, with a joint appointment in the Psychology Department and Management Department, and teach courses to MBAs, and graduate students in I/O psychology: strategic management, human resource management, HR development, psychological testing in industry, performance management, and talent management among others.  Mo earned a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University.

Belimo

Kara is currently using her MA in Industrial & Organizational Psychology at Belimo. Kara focuses on Talent Management processes and innovative learning practices to ensure impact and engagement on learning and development. She partners with executives and leaders around the world to create programs to upskill talent.

Kara is an end-to-end Talent leader who can think strategically, develop and execute on learning initiatives. She is a proven instructional designer who applies adult learning theory to every project and program, helping to grow talent. Kara brings experience in project management, Learning Management System (LMS) implementation, content development and online training. Prior to joining Belimo, Kara served roles of increasing responsibility at Information Services Group and Terex Corporation, in Global Learning and Development.  

Kara holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University and a Master's in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven.

The Director of Technology is the ATDCT Webmaster, and is responsible for the design, maintenance and improvements to our chapter website, using Wild Apricot and NewTek Business Services. 

Anne Cheng is an Instructional Designer and a Technology Education professional with ILT, WBT, online blended-learning and staff training experience. Anne earned her Master's of Education and Master's of Instructional Technology at the University of Bridgeport and earned ATD's Certificate of eLearning Instructional Design. 

Anne was an Instructional Designer and Trainer at NYCHA, creating and teaching apps on the Maximo Mobile platform. She was a Senior Microsoft Applications Instructor for New Horizons CLC, an Adjunct Professor for the University of Bridgeport, and owned a technology-education franchise. She has taught 100+ technical and soft skills courses, Masters-level educational technology courses, and trained her 55 franchise employees. 

Donna Marino is an experienced educator and instructional designer with over twelve years of experience creating impactful learning experiences. As Co-Director of Technology for the ATD Connecticut Chapter, she brings a strong background in curriculum development, eLearning tools, and learning management systems. Donna is passionate about leveraging technology to make learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for all types of learners.

She has designed and implemented multimodal training programs using tools like Articulate 360, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Google Classroom. In her current work, she collaborates closely with subject matter experts and stakeholders to align learning solutions with organizational goals. Donna is also known for her commitment to supporting fellow professionals through thoughtful communication, creative problem-solving, and attention to detail.

She is excited to help grow the ATD community by supporting digital engagement, streamlining technical processes, and sharing innovative tools that elevate the learning and development field.

Quinnipiac University - School of Business

The Director of Finance and Administration oversees chapter budgets, financial reports, compliance and administrative operations to align with ATD National’s standards and support sustainable growth. Catherine M. Bonet is a strategic people and organizational development leader with 25+ years of experience in enterprise-level change, workforce plans, and cultural transformation with global and mission-driven organizations.

Catherine designed scalable solutions, integrated people strategy with business goals, enhanced operational efficiency, and fostered inclusive, high-performance cultures. She is skilled in workforce analytics, talent strategy, leadership development, and embedding DEI, CSR and employee well-being initiatives into organizational planning.

Catherine led organizational design and change management at Cotiviti Healthcare Analytics, Grant Thornton and Halma Plc, improved operational efficiency, employee engagement, and leadership readiness. She advises senior leaders, leverages data to inform decisions, and aligns financial and human capital strategies.

Catherine has a MS in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University (academic honors) and a BS in Psychology from Sacred Heart University. She trained in change management, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology. Catherine’s active professional memberships include the ATD, ACMP, ISODC, SHRM and SIOP.

The Co-Director of Programming is responsible for providing professional development, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities for ATD CT Members. 

Theresa Fesinstine brings over 25 years of HR leadership experience to the ATD-CT chapter. She is the Founder of peoplepower.ai, a company dedicated to demystifying AI for HR and non-tech professionals. Theresa's mission is to "Flatten the AI Learning Curve" and make AI accessible and actionable in the workplace.

Theresa is a recognized thought leader in AI for HR, having been named a PYN 50 over 50 Women in Tech and receiving the Dextego AI Award for AI Thought Leadership. She holds certifications in AI for Business Strategy from MIT and AI for Business from Zortify Summer School. As an Adjunct Professor at City College of New York, she teaches AI for Business, preparing future generations for AI-integrated workplaces.

A sought-after keynote speaker and advisor to AI-First Tech Start-ups, Theresa leverages her expertise to drive innovation in HR practices. She is actively involved in mentorship programs and professional communities, including All Tech is Human, TroopHR, and Culture First. Theresa's unique blend of HR expertise and AI knowledge positions her to lead impactful programming that bridges the gap between traditional HR practices and emerging AI technologies.

Co-Director of Programming,
Iris
McQuillan-Grace

OLIVER

The Director at Large for ATD CT is responsible for onboarding the new president, Chapter Succession Planning, CARE reporting to ATD National and providing knowledge sharing, resource development and networking opportunities for ATD CT members. 

Iris McQuillan-Grace is a talent leader and learning nerd. She leverages her background in collaborative performance and human centered design to help organizations navigate internal transformation and empower their employees to develop new skills and become the leaders they were meant to be. She is a Board member of ATD CT, and a member of the Executive Council for Leading Change. When not doing all of that, you will find her chasing her two little ones until they are too big to catch.

Director at Large,
David Gilman

Gilman Performance Solutions, Inc.

The Director at Large for ATD CT is responsible for onboarding the new president,  Chapter Succession Planning, CARE reporting to ATD National and providing knowledge sharing, resource development and networking opportunities for ATD CT members. 

David Gilman's Special Interest Group (SIG) is focused on internal Learning Leaders, to facilitate specific Networking, Idea-Sharing, and Rapid Question-Response concepts.

David's career in L&D includes internal positions at prestigious firms, up to GE Capital.
He built a consulting practice with over 200 repeat clients, ranging from Fortune 50 to small firms. His practice offers over 25 services focused on learning, assessments and key meeting / team facilitation skills. 

David has presented over 10 times to ATD / SHRM chapters, starting with his memorable first one using a hotel kitchen's Saran wrap (ask him). 

Director at Large, 
Jim Kineon

GP Strategies Corporation 

Academic Relations Chair,
Katie Tomlin

Fairfield University

Katie Tomlin is currently an Associate Professor at Fairfield University, where she directs the graduate programs in industrial/organizational psychology. Katie focuses her energy on both the academic and career advancement of her students. Additionally, she dedicates her time to the development of fellow faculty through service on the Faculty Development and Evaluation Committee, collaborations with the Center for Academic Excellence, and the Academic Council.

Katie completed her undergraduate studies at Rutgers University (double major in psychology and history) and her PhD at Princeton University (social psychology). Following graduate school, Katie completed a post-doc with the Management Division of Columbia Business School and worked as an Assistant Professor at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs prior to joining Fairfield University in 2019. She is an active member of ATD, SIOP and SHRM.

Director of Sponsorship, 
Joe Mele

The Director of Sponsorship manages and promotes vendor participation for each meeting, introduces the sponsor at meetings and helps the Director of Programming locate vendor speakers. Participates on the Board by promoting Chapter Operating REquirements (CORE), supports our strategic goals, attends and participates in all Board and Chapter meetings. 

Joe is an organizational psychologist and seasoned consultant on national and global projects, specializing in enterprise change management and human behavior transformation. His leadership experience in Houston includes serving as Vice President of Membership on industry boards and organizing Lunch and Learns and young-adult networking events. Currently completing a Ph.D. in organizational leadership with an emphasis on positive psychology, Joe has been mentored by sponsorship expert Debbie Richards and is eager to share his expertise with the Connecticut chapter.

As ATD Connecticut’s new Director of Sponsorship, Joe will engage a diverse mix of startup founders, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits to expand the chapter’s sponsorship base. He will develop tiered packages aligned with sponsor goals, launch signature events that foster peer collaboration, and strengthen relationships through regular performance reviews and public recognition. By integrating sponsors into marketing materials, event stages, and member communications, Joe aims to drive sustainable revenue growth and cultivate a vibrant, statewide community of learning and development champions.